Phantom Angel
by candelight
Summary: Sequel to "Opportunity". In battle, both Vlad and Jack make a grave error-and tragedy strikes Danny's body. After Vlad saves him-and makes Danny believe his family now hates him-can Vlad heal a brokenhearted and stubborn hybrid? Has he any RIGHT to try?


The Phantom Angel

Sequel to the "Opportunity" saga. Danny is astonished by the older hybrid's transformation, but still angrily declines Vlad's offer. But when our favorite fourteen year old is left critically injured and paralyzed from the heat of battle, Vlad must make a decision: Seek the woman he's loved for two decades...or save the child he hopes to become his son before it's too late-!

* * *

Boy, do I have a lot of work to do tonight....gomen nasai if this sounds perhaps a bit rushed-!

Hello! ^^ The votes have been counted-wow, I was NOT expecting so many! Thank you all so much!

But just so everyone knows the score, I might as well tell you right here....I was NOT expecting this one. Holy crow....

Anyhoo, this is where our story takes a little twist from the "Bitter Reunions" onslaught. Crikey....and this was supposed to be a one-shot!

Thank you everyone....who reviewed in "Opportunity" fictions. Your support means a lot to me-please tell me if I should continue or not on this tale. After this segment, I just might choose to end it, though. Not quite yet sure.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Quote: "The greater your ability to love-even more intense is the ability to feel pain. Savvy?"_

_"Imagine my surprise when I find YOU,_

_The SECOND ghost hybrid his foolishness created!"_

_"Second?"_

In a flurry of black rings and a slight scowl on his face, Vlad transformed.

Skin a bluish hue, ivory fangs glinting as indigo eyes transfigured into scarlet-

Danny gasped, heart pausing in midbeat.

Someone pounding the younger hybrid senseless as he sent him spinning at the wall-

_"Tell me child, can you do THIS yet?"_

_Duplicates of the same vampire like entity were popping back and forth in the brilliant waves of ecto energy being driven at Danny's screaming form._

_"I...I don't want to fight you!"_

_A gleam of fangs as the elder ghost smirked in the darkness._

_"No. No you don't."

* * *

_

_"YOU!"_

So Daniel hadn't forgotten after all. It gave the man a satisfactory smile.

Danny simply scowled, closing his eyes in concentration.

_"I'm goin' ghost!"_

A pause. Danny didn't even feel a spark at his waist-let alone the rings he had become well accostumed to. He blinked, looking completely astonished.

"G-Goin' Ghost!"

Another pause. The silence was dreadful. Danny bit his lip.

"Why....why can' I go ghost?!"

His mind frantically flashed to just a few minutes ago:

_"ENOUGH! I didn't free you to **kill** the boy, Skulker! Your work is done."_

So the man wasn't going to try and waste him. Comforting-unless, of course, the man had simply told him to step aside so HE could do the job himself.....

He vaguely noticed Vlad chuckling, smirk once again on his face.

"You have a _battle cry_-hilarious! _I_, on the other hand...."

His gloved palms found the cold, glowing exterior of Danny's prison, where he patted it approvingly.

"Have _this_! A spectral energy neutralizer- Designed by Skulker-paid for by me."

Ignoring Danny's frown, the ghost drifted with his back to the younger hybrid, some meters away, smirk dying for a scowl of his own as he stated his next

sentence.

"And as long as you are in the confines within that box....you're as human as your _idiot father."_

Danny's face darkened with that comment, and his struggled desperately against his iron bonds.

This explained everything-Vlad's coldness towards Jack, his overly warm gestures to Maddie-

But how did HE fit into all of this! Mom and Dad had been Vlad's college mates-so why was he going after Jazz and-

Oh, well. Why did that matter now?

"LET ME OUTTA HERE!"

Vlad turned slightly, and, in spite of himself, Danny shrank a little ways back unconciously as the scarlet found his bright blue-then turned to face the wall

again.

Danny could only see a hungry look in the billionaire's eyes-and he did NOT like it one little bit.

"Why? So you can return to stumbling through your adolescence, desperately trying to get control of your powers?"

Danny's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. The man continued.

"Powers, by the way, that I've had for twenty YEARS."

The billionaire slowly turned around, hungry look abruptly turning ravenous as his hands burst into emerald, ectoplasmic bolts of fire onto his palms.

"I have EXPERIENCE, my child."

He shot up a brilliant green shield about himself, watching Danny wince. The boy had been trying for MONTHS to get that one right-and the fruitloop in

front of him did it in a matter of seconds!

"And the money and power attained by USING those powers for personal gain."

_So Vlad was a thief!_

His body split into three duplicates, all gazing at Danny as their mouths moved in perfect harmony with the others.

"I could TRAIN you-and teach you everything I know!"

The duplicates faded towards the center hybrid's body as Vlad himself drifted forwards.

"And all you would have to do," he hissed, eyes sparking dangerously.

"IS DENOUNCE YOUR IDIOT FATHER."

* * *

After the astonishment faded from Danny's face, the anger set in.

"Dude, you are SERIOUSLY one-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

*~*

Vlad finally tore his gaze from Danny, looking bewildered as he yanked around.

"What the-" he muttered, eyes narrowing into red slits.

Someone had screamed-quite loudly-from downstairs. Danny, truth be told, found it miraculous ANYTHING could breach this metallic walls.

Maybe Jazz broke a fingernail-but it didn't sound quite like her.....

~*~

No!

Those idiots!

_Those absolute, bumbling idiots! Vlad would **strangle** them all!_

* * *

Danny raised an eyebrow as Vlad began silently cursing to himself.

Those BIRDS! Those SENILE, MORONIC-!

He was supposed to possess the idiot first-then wreck the place, and THEN the birds were supposed to become an addition for the chaos!

Well...he could still fix such a thing. He turned to glare at the wide eyed teen still trapped in the glowing cube.

_"Stay there."_

Even as Vlad disappeared in a swirling mass of emerald sparks, Danny had to raise an eyebrow as he desperately resumed his struggles against the cube.

"Yeah. I'm REALLY going to have a good time escaping in THIS."

~*~*

Before the birds had mistaken the blasts from the Master's lair to be the signal, Harriet had been eagerly discussing one of her business deals for the

Milwaukee Journal in a press conference last Fall.

Jack's eyes were somewhat glazed over, and he looked ready to fall over at any minute as he swayed, listening to the young woman drone on and on....

He stared bleakly at his punch, as though briefly considering drowning himself in it.

Harriet finally halted her speech, and glared at the orange clad man.

_"Am. I. Boring. You. Jack?"_

The man sighed.

"Quite frankly, y-"

And then, the ghosts had streamed in.

And the screaming had begun.

* * *

Whew! Okay....I'll update soon....if you tell me I should! ^^


End file.
